DodgeIntrepid.Net Forums banner

Did my car just kill itself?

5K views 42 replies 19 participants last post by  Adpros 
#1 ·
Driving on the interstate yesterday, bout 75mph and felt a "pop" in the engine. Throttle wouldnt do anything and the car began slowing. This threw a check engine light immediately. As I was slowing down, the engine died.
After I got back to the car with a truck and trailer, tried starting again and the starter sounds like its running very quickly but getting very little resistance. Then it had a loud bang and there was a fire on the backside of the engine. Put out the fire quickly, I'm guessing it somehow backfired up into the intake.
It had been having fuel leaking issues somewhere on the backside, hence why there was a fire.
I'm wondering if the engine dying is related to a broken timing belt though, it seems to fit the symptoms.
Codes are
P1684 - irrelevant
P0340 - Camshaft position sensor circuit
P1294 - Target idle not reached
P1299-VACUUM LEAK DETECTED (IAC FULLY SEATED

So did my timing belt just snap and let my pistons kiss my valves?
Oh and the car is a 1999 ES 3.2L with 156000 miles, I got it at 107000 miles, never did a timing belt on it, not sure if previous owner did.
 
See less See more
#2 ·
Yup, that was your TB snapping - and snapping at cruising speed like that means that the pistons most likely did more than just kiss the valves.

The biggest clue is the lack of resistance to the starter turning. Curious how the engine would fire the spark plugs and injectors with the TB snapped, since it would see the Camshaft not-spinning - but I guess it is possible for it to ignore the cam sensor and fire on the crank sensor alone.

Pull the driver's side cam cover and look at the belt - I'm guessing you can see it is not tight.
 
#6 ·
the car is a 1999 ES 3.2L with 156000 miles, I got it at 107000 miles, never did a timing belt on it, not sure if previous owner did.
I hope for your sake its nit the timing belt but odds are it is, its not suicide, it was murder, its a hard lesson about changing your timing belt when its due
 
#9 ·
The dealer told me I don't need to change mine! I got 206000 miles on the car I bought it with 38000 miles so its safe to say its never been done! but I plan on doing it when we get our tax returns!
 
#12 ·
Well, you all were right.
Timing belt went.



I suppose my next course of action is to figure out if (I'm sure they are but I need to know) there are bent valves. What would be the best way to do this? I know I could pull the upper intake manifold, pull some injectors and look in to check the intake valves
Also, assuming my 3.2 is done for, what's a fair price for a used 3.2 on craigslist? Or am I better off looking for a new vehicle?
Additionally, I'd like to thank everyone on this board, it has been and still is an amazing resource, I haven't seen a community this tight knit for any other vehicle.
 
#17 ·
Well, you all were right.
Timing belt went.

I suppose my next course of action is to figure out if (I'm sure they are but I need to know) there are bent valves. What would be the best way to do this? I know I could pull the upper intake manifold, pull some injectors and look in to check the intake valves
Also, assuming my 3.2 is done for, what's a fair price for a used 3.2 on craigslist? Or am I better off looking for a new vehicle?
Additionally, I'd like to thank everyone on this board, it has been and still is an amazing resource, I haven't seen a community this tight knit for any other vehicle.
Lately, Craigslist has had a number of private individuals selling their LH cars for parts. Many 2.7L and 3.2L - 3.5L engines and transmissions for sale which they claim are still in the car and can be started for your inspection. See if you have any in your area if the damage is too severe to fix.
 
#26 ·
Leak down test won't show you anything, unless you rotate the cams to the right spot to hold the valves closed. The cams will want to detent in areas, and you may have trouble holding the cams in place.

You could remove the upper plenum, valve covers, and rocker arm assemblies, then do the leakdown... but removing the rocker arm assemblies will show bent valves alone.

Leakdown may not reveal cracked pistons.
 
#16 ·
Trust me, if you broke your belt doing 75mph (turning 2700rpms under slight load) on an interference motor, you crashed quite a few valves. Best thing to do right now is yank the heads and see how bad the damage is to the pistons. Depending on that you could just pick up 2 new heads from a yard, or do a complete rebuild on what you have. Or you could just drop a 3.5HO in there. Any way you dice it, its not going to be cheap. It all comes down to how much you like the car and how much youre willing to put in it.
 
#18 ·
arg. that's ugly man. :glum: Valves ARE bent. guaranteed. If it were me I'd just pull the heads so I could make sure I didnt crack a piston, tear the heads completely down and have them tanked and put new valve stuff in. Find a cracked piston, just replace the motor.... or maybe just replace the motor anyway if you're not up for the head work. New WP and idler too obviously, probably the WP that killed the belt.
 
#19 ·
I agree with SQUILLIAM and I was looking in to redoing the heads on mine and I was looking at $950.00 for a valve job and to have them flex tested and then new gaskets and was not including any new valves!
 
#21 ·
Bummer Dude! Looks like some major head work is in your future. That's assuming no pistons are cracked or have holes in them!
 
#28 ·
Timing belt kits are available where ever fine autoparts are sold, including online - BUT - for best luck, and for the least amount of flaming and "I told ya so"s on the board here, I'd go with OEM from the dealer, OR Gates brand from where ever you find it that is trustworthy (local shops, or Rockauto.com come to mind).

It is a chore to change, but really, not THAT bad. If all you ever do is put gas in the tank, it will be a big challenge... But if you do your own oil changes, this is a good first big project. Take your time, do your homework, then plan on lots of free time - like a full weekend, just in case something doesn't go well.

Create a new thread for yourself when you go to do it - get the input from the members on the board that have done it - then as you run into challenges, you have a group of folks following you to lend a hand. Many will even offer you phone assistance or even possibly web-cam assistance.
 
#39 ·
It is a chore to change, but really, not THAT bad. If all you ever do is put gas in the tank, it will be a big challenge... But if you do your own oil changes, this is a good first big project. Take your time, do your homework, then plan on lots of free time - like a full weekend, just in case something doesn't go well.
:thankyou::thankyou: I do my own oil changes, thank you very much! My car will NEVER see a Jiffy Lube (more like jiffy poo) in its life!
 
#36 ·
I frequently have friends and family ask me to help them find a car. As a rule when buying a used car I find out if its an interference motor. If it is based on the year and mileage figure out how soon you need a belt and figure it in as part of the vehicle cost. If the seller has a valid receipt for a timing belt change great, if not don't take anyone's word for anything and assume it was not changed.

As for the original poster...

How do you feel about your mechanical skills?
Is the body and interior on the car really nice?
Any suspension issues?
Tires good?
Figure $500-1000 for a used motor plus incidentals (you will need to change the timing belt, plus oil, maybe gaskets, motor mounts, plugs....etc)

You have to decide if its worth putting in the time effort and money.
 
#38 ·
...As a rule when buying a used car I find out if its an interference motor. If it is based on the year and mileage figure out how soon you need a belt and figure it in as part of the vehicle cost. If the seller has a valid receipt for a timing belt change great, if not don't take anyone's word for anything and assume it was not changed...
Sounds like wise advice.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top